Latest fromPets & Animals

Tasmanian devil killed by lump of asphalt
A Tasmanian devil has died at a zoo in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after a lump of asphalt was apparently thrown at it.

Busting the penguin myths
They’re loveable, cute and raise caring families with their mate for life, right? Wrong. A new book busts the box-office myths.

Man who froze dead cats receives ban
An Auckland man who crammed 38 dead cats into his freezer has been allowed to keep his three surviving felines but banned from acquiring any more.

Training session for dogs help save kiwi from attack
Kiwis for Kiwi is running training sessions nationwide to condition hunting dogs against attacking our threatened national bird.

How to pick what to feed your pet
Why is choosing what to feed your pet harder than choosing what to feed yourself?

Turtle trio fight for life
Staff at Auckland Zoo and Kelly Tarlton's are hoping a trio of critically ill turtles they are treating make a full recovery.

$80k payout after 250 pigs stampede
When a farmer sued a hot air balloon firm for causing a pig stampede, he needed trigonometry, a lucky photograph and a laser rangefinder to prove he wasn't telling porkies.

Building a new home? Don't bring a cat
New homes being built on the Otago Peninsula could soon come with a strict new planning rule - no cats. But what would a cat ban involve?

Talk to the Animals: What to do when dogs attack
Sally Hibbard spoke to a leading dog trainer and behavior expert who made it very clear that there is no definitive way to stop an attack, but offers these tips.

Paul Little: When dogs go bad, put them down
I was once at a party where a child was attacked by one of the host's two rottweilers. Fortunately, there were many people nearby so the dog's teeth and the child's throat were soon parted and the boy suffered no grievous harm.

Cat-astrophe survivors
Last year Craig Bullock brought us a book hailing the canine heroes and victims of Christchurch’s earthquakes. Now it’s the turn of the felines.

Anglers told trout from 1080 catchments edible
Trout taken from catchments where 1080 poison has been dumped are safe to eat, the Ministry of Primary Industries says.

Dog attack: 'He saved my life'
A Hamilton woman who was mauled by her own dog is praising the bravery of a passing stranger who she says saved her life.

Father shares pain of fatal dog attack
The father of a woman mauled to death by a pair of notoriously aggressive rottweilers told a court he has been "deeply wounded and changed forever".

Search for seal-killing dog continues
The Department of Conservation says it is still searching for the owner of a dog that killed a baby fur seal on an Auckland Beach last week.

Mandy Carter: Love of animals at heart of veganism
Were you shocked at the revelations of cruelty in the New Zealand pork industry earlier this year? I wasn't. I've seen it so many times before, writes Mandy Carter.

Is your dog an optimist or a pessimist?
New research, which measures the positive and negative emotional states in dogs, shows that man’s best friend can now be defined as a ‘pessimist’ or as an ‘optimist’.

Talk to the Animals: 10 ways to keep pets cool this summer
If spending hot summer days in a fur coat doesn't appeal, then spare a thought for the cats, dogs and other furry creatures that don't have any option as temperatures rise.

Dog rescued after five days in hole
A golden retriever has been rescued after being trapped down a hole on the West Coast for five days.

Cat comes back (4 years later)
The amazing story of a cat that travelled more than 200 kilometres and turned up at the Gisborne SPCA after going missing four years earlier has come to a very happy ending.

Photos: Crap taxidermy
Images are extracted from Crap Taxidermy by Kat Su, RRP $19.99, available 30 September where all good books are sold.